Digital Commons Network^™

Predictors Of Economic Outlook In Stability Operations, Juan Carlos Garcia

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The participation of the United States military in stability efforts has increased dramatically since 2001. The core of current U. S. stabilization policies and measures derives from the US military's lessons in countering insurgencies since the late 20th century through the ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan, and countries experiencing radical Islamic insurgencies. Counterinsurgency operations focus on gaining support from the relevant population through security, governance, and economic efforts. This research seeks to improve the understanding of the relationship between perceptions of security and governance on populations' economic outlook during stability operations. Applying the “Winning Hearts and Minds” approach to the …

I'M Going Digital: Potentials For Online Communities Through Internet Remix, Justin N. Nguyen

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the late 90s and early 2000s, computers and internet usage became more widespread. This widespread usage led to a proliferation of “digital objects” (digital versions of audio, video, image, text, etc.) dispersed through the internet. The instant and near-infinite reproducibility of digital objects combined with their ease of manipulation by computer users has led to their widespread recognition and use as tools of communication online. As a consequence, technology has allowed those traditionally thought of as consumers to become cultural producers by repurposing digital media objects. Because of this, internet remix of digital objects is one of the best …

Circadian Rhythms And The Embodiment Of Social Zeitgebers: Linking The Bio And Social, Tiffany R. Moore

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Virtually all biological processes are under direct or indirect control of the circadian system. Chronic disruption of circadian rhythms, termed chronodisruption, is linked to increased risk for adverse health outcomes such as cancer, depression, and cardiometabolic disease. Circadian rhythms are highly sensitive to sociocultural contexts. As a result, circadian rhythms provide a valuable entryway to explore issues of embodiment. Here, embodiment refers to processes through which social experiences ‘get under the skin’ to become biological and manifest in health. To better understand what proximate social factors influence chronodisruption, this study assessed chronodisruption and social zeitgebers among a population of 15 …

The Convergence Of Our American And Ghanaian Lives: A Narrative Inquiry, Hope Marie Zikpi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There is little in the body of literature about the experience of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) in Ghana from their perspectives. In this inquiry, four adult orphans and one doctoral candidate employed a narrative framework to share their stories about growing up in a children’s home in the Central Region of Ghana and how their lives converged as they spent time together over the course of two and one half years. Through narrative interviews and conversations with the participants, themes of food insecurity, bullying, lacking basic needs, and finding emotional support in peers emerged. In addition, each participant shared …

Parent Coping And Sibling Relationship Quality In Pediatric Cancer: The Moderating Effects Of Parental Emotion Socialization Beliefs, Esther Davila

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study examined relations between parent coping and parent-, patient-, and sibling-reported perceptions of sibling relationship quality (SRQ), as well as potential moderating effects of parent emotion socialization (ES) beliefs in the context of pediatric oncology. Questionnaires were completed by 155 parents of pediatric oncology patients, 103 pediatric oncology patients, and 104 healthy siblings of pediatric oncology patients. Parent coping and ES beliefs predicted parent-perceived sibling warmth and dominance disparity. For parents low in emotion-dismissive ES beliefs, parent adaptive coping negatively predicted parent-perceived sibling dominance disparity. For parents low in emotion-coaching ES beliefs, parent adaptive coping positively predicted patient-perceived sibling …

Mapping Narrative Transactions: A Method/Framework For Exploring Multimodal Documents As Social Semiotic Sites For Ethnographic Study, Anne W. Anderson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work grew from my attempts to find a method for studying a body of editorial cartoons—multi-modal documents producing cross-modal responses—that were created and published in an earlier time period, in order to answer questions about the culture in which the cartoons were produced and read. Initially my questions included wondering about the topics cartoonists addressed, the narratives cartoonists created to address the topics, how the narratives were framed, and in what ways the narratives might have been seen as attempts to shape the larger cultural discourse around the topics. However, given the number of possible combinations of information streams …

Exploring Adult Indigenous Latinxs’ English Language Identity Expressions And Agency: A Malp®-Informed Photovoice Study, Andrea Enikő Lypka

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Scholars historically emphasized literate learners’ additional language trajectories. In countries with increasingly large numbers of limited-literate adult language learners, there is an urgent need to inspire limited-literate adults to speak out and be heard. To address the needs of adult language learners with inconsistent schooling, and the ways their identities, agency, and social power influence opportunities for participation in the target language communities of practice, scholars need to implement bottom-up and responsive curricular and research innovations. To this end, informed by poststructuralist and transdisciplinary understandings of English language development, I investigated the identity work (self-positioning and other-positioning) and agency deployment …

Procedural Discretionary Decisions And Access To Justice Before Administrative Tribunals, Rachel Elizabeth Weiner

LLM Theses

This thesis considers procedural discretionary decision-making by administrative tribunals and access to justice for marginalized and low-income individuals. I begin by reviewing literature regarding discretionary decision-making, access to justice, procedural justice, and ideal theories focusing on transparent and respectful engagement and dialogue between decision-makers and litigants. I then analyze three case studies regarding procedural discretionary decision-making and accommodations in the hearing process, addressing primarily disability and language barriers experienced by litigants before the Social Benefits Tribunal, Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, and Landlord and Tenant Board. I then compare theories of discretionary decision-making with actual decision-making practices employed by tribunal …

Medication Crushing And Indoor Air Pollution, Leann Elizabeth Guess

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Point-Of-Decision Prompts Increase Dietary Fiber Content Of Consumers’ Food Choices In An Online Grocery Shopping Simulation, Kristina Arslain, Christopher Gustafson, Devin J. Rose

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Only 5% of Americans consume the recommended amount of dietary fiber. In an online simulated shopping experiment, we examined whether a fiber-focused point-of-decision prompt (PDP) would influence consumers to choose food products that were higher in this important nutrient. We hypothesized that participants exposed to the dietary fiber PDP would choose products with more dietary fiber/serving than those who were not exposed to the PDP. The experiment was completed by 753 participants. Participants were randomly assigned to a condition in which they were not exposed to a PDP (the no-PDP condition), a personalized PDP, or PDP without personalization. Choices in …

The Impact Of Parental Health Mindset On Postoperative Recovery In Children, Alexandra Kain, Claudia Mueller, Brenda J. Goliamu, Brooke N. Jenkins, Michelle A. Fortier

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Background

Mindset, or one’s beliefs about the ability to change one’s outcomes, has been studied in the educational domain but not in surgical settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the role of parental health mindset on children’s recovery.

Methods

Participants were part of a larger National Institutes of Health‐funded trial that included 1470 children undergoing outpatient tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. We used measures of parental coping style (Monitor Blunter Style Scale; MBSS) and medication attitudes (Medication Attitudes Questionnaire; MAQ) to validate the Health Beliefs Scale (HBS; Criterion validity, Cohen’s kappa). HBS categorizes parents as having a growth mindset, …

Crisis, Crisis, Read All About It! Investigating The Direct And Joint Effects Of Crisis Response Strategies, Crisis History And Strategic Actions On The Tone Of Media Coverage, Habiba Nefisa Alambo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Crisis management research has focused on how crisis stricken firms protect their reputation by communicating appropriate messages to evaluators and employing strategic actions that favorably shape public opinion about the stricken firm. Developing conversations have addressed how a firm’s crisis history may impact current crisis management efforts. However, little is known about how these factors jointly and directly influence what is said about a crisis stricken firm and subsequently impact evaluators’ perceptions.

Primarily guided by the tenets of attribution and situational crisis communication theories, I studied the interactive and main effects of crisis response strategies (accommodative, reframing and defensive), crisis …

A New Look Into An Old Problem: Implications Of The Locus Coeruleus In Alzheimer’S Disease, Tia Donaldson

Shared Knowledge Conference

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disease, is one of the most common forms of dementia among the elderly. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, approximately 5.7 million people within the United States are living with AD and this number is expected to rise to about 14 million by 2050. As the prevalence continues to rise, it is critical to understand how AD affects the brain. AD is identified by pathology in the brain which includes the formation of plaques and tangles. Most research focuses on mid-to-late stage AD when pathology and cognitive symptoms (e.g., memory decline) are at their peak. …

November Agenda, Wku Graduate Council

Graduate School

Meeting agenda including October 8 meeting minutes; graduate enrollment reports; Graduate Council Curriculum report tracking; report from Graduate School; thesis, specialist project & dissertation guidelines; and Council of Graduate Schools resolution.

Applying Immuno-Epidemiology Principles To Violence, Anna H. Sisk, Nina H. Fefferman, Judy Day, Patricia Bamwine

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

What If Black Lives Meaningfully Mattered In Research?, Monique Guishard

Black Lives Matter in Research

No abstract provided.

Riots Contra Global Capital: Globalization And The Bangladeshi Workers’ Movement, Adam Benjamin

West Virginia University Historical Review

“Fast fashion” and “globalization,” often mentioned in the same sentence, make their way to the headlines fairly frequently. While the conditions of low-wage garment workers are a subject of criticism for clothing brands, few know of the active workers’ movement in Bangladesh to better them. This movement, often unorganized and violent, takes place against the backdrop of urban growth, rapid industrialization, and factory disaster. Riots and piecemeal wage negotiations often go hand in hand in Bangladesh, as the pressures of the world economy exert themselves on Bangladesh’s fragile and unstable garment industry. This paper examines the history and developments of …

Complete Issue

West Virginia University Historical Review

No abstract provided.

Level Of Self-Acceptance Among The Adolescent Students In The Model School Of Yarmouk University, Odai Al-Masarwah

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

The purpose of this study is to show the level of self-acceptance among the adolescent students in the model School of Yarmouk University from their point of view, and to show the impact of the variables (Gender and Class). The researcher used the descriptive analytical methodology, and the sample of the study consisted of (150) students. To achieve the above, a questionnaire consisted of (36) items was designed and distributed in five dimensions: (Personal dimension, Social dimension, Emotional dimension, Family dimension and School dimension).The results showed that the level of self-acceptance among the adolescent students in the model school of …

Analytical Study Of The Level Of Sports Awareness Among The Students Of Al-Balqa Applied University – Jordan, Haitham Alnader

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

The objective of the study was to identify the level of sport awareness among the students of al Balqa Applied University in Jordan and to determine the differences in the level of sports awareness among the students according to the variables (gender, faculty, year of study, place of residence). To achieve this, the researcher used the descriptive method and the questionnaire as a tool for collecting data and information from a random sample of (1000) students. The results of the study showed that the level of sport awareness among the students of al Balqa Applied University in Jordan was low …

Problems Of The University Students Of Hail College Of Education With Regard To University Services, Rasha Khabour

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

This study aims at identifying the problems of the university students of Hail College of Education with regard to university services, and to identify differences depending on the variables of the level of study and specialization. To achieve the aim of this study, the researcher prepared his questionnaire, which included 36 items Its validity and reliability were verified .and distributed randomly on the study sample of 355 students at Hail University, Al-Shamli Branch. The results of the study showed that the degree of total arithmetic averages of the fields of study was lower. Student services were ranked first at a …

Level Of Support Services Provided To Students With Learning Difficulties In The Basic Schools In Al-Balqa'a Directorate Based On Student's Point Of View, Mutasim Al-Zoubi, Mona Al-Hadidi

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

The current study aimed to identify the level of the support services provided to students with learning difficulties in the basic schools in Al-Balqa'a directorate of education based on student's point of view. To achieve the objectives of the study, the researcher's developed questionnaire. The study sample consisted of 100 students with category of 8-13 years, and after conducting the appropriate statistical analysis, the researcher's showed the support services provided to the students with learning difficulties in the basic schools in Al-Balqa'a directorate of education from their perspective was moderate, and there no statistically significant differences due to the impact …

Optimism, Pessimism And Their Relation To Self-Esteem Among Palestinian Authority Employees Referred To Retirement In Gaza Strip-Palestine, Khaled Mowanes, Bassem Abu Kwaik

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

The study aims to identify the level of optimism and pessimism and the level of self-esteem, and the relationship between them, and find out their level varies according to the variables (type of job, monthly salary) of the employees of the Palestinian Authority referred to retire in Gaza Strip. To achieve such thing, the two tools of the study were applied: the measure of optimism and pessimism, and the self-assessment scale (prepared by the researchers) on a sample of (197) male and female employees whom selected by random stratified method. The researchers used the descriptive analytical approach. After analyzing the …

Statistical Anxiety And The Trend Towards Predicting The Achievement Of Middle East University Students In Jordan In The Principles Of Statistics, Basel Abu Foudeh

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

The aim of this study was to find out the relationship between the variable of statistical anxiety and the trend towards it, on the one hand, and the achievement in the principles of statistics on the other hand, and to assess the predictive ability of the variables of scholastic achievement. To achieve the objectives of the study, the measure of statistical anxiety and the measure of students' attitudes towards statistics were applied to all students studying the "Principles of Statistics" (188) students; (105) males and (83) females during the second semester 2017/2018. The results showed that the achievement was associated …

Reality Of Free Reading In The Light Of Modern Technological Developments From The Point Of View Of Al Isra University Students In Jordan, Hussein Mestarihi, Gazi Tashman

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

The study aimed to identify the reality of free reading in the light of modern technological developments from the point of view of Al Isra University students in Jordan. The study population consisted of (117) students from Al Isra University. The researchers constructed a questionnaire included three domains: The source of free reading, its kind, and its aim. The results of the study revealed that the students of the University of Isra, practicing free reading through the use of modern technology in the three domains at high levels; according to the source of technological reading students used Google browser, WhatsApp, …

The Relationship Between Level Of Sports Culture And Mental Health Among The Basketball Players On Wheelchairs, Ayed Zureigat, Osama Abdel- Fattah, Ahmed Momani, Mossab Rashed

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

This study aimed to identify the level of sports culture among the players of the basketball team on wheelchairs, as well as the level of mental health of the players of the basketball on wheelchairs, in addition to the relationship between the level of sports culture and mental health. To achieve this, the researchers used the descriptive method on a sample consisting of (30) basketball on wheelchairs. To collect the study data, the researchers used the questionnaire, which consisted of (14) paragraphs for the field of sports culture and (12) mental health. The results of the study showed that the …

The Effect Of An Educational Program Based On The Webquest On The Development Of Critical Thinking Amongst First Secondary Students In Jordan, Yousef Abo-Alkail, Basma Abu Mathana

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

The study aimed at finding out the effect of an educational program based on the Web Quest on the development of creative thinking skills (originality, fluency, flexibility) amongst first secondary students at the Computer Science Subject in Jordan. The two researchers followed the semi experimental approach in this study. The study consisted of (50) students of the first secondary grade students in Madaba secondary school for Boys – one of Madaba Directorate of Education schools in the academic year 2017/2018. The school was chosen because of being close to the researchers and suitable to the study conditions. The experimental and …

The Phenomenon Of Linguistic Lisp Between Acquisition And Disability (Manifestations, Causes, Treatment), Ahmad Bani Atta

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

Lisping is probably one of the problems that is viewed by Arab communities as one of the silly and easy problems. Therefore, parents, due to lack of health knowledge,do not take it seriously when one of their children suffers from this problem.The truth of the matter is that a speaker may suffer from acquired, health, or physiological speaking problems.This makes us classify it as an illness, which might exceed in number the registered numbers of other physical illnesses since the therapeutic process might take much more time to achieve full recovery.It could start with oral practice and end with surgical …

Physical Self-Esteem And Its Relation To Self-Confidence Among The Volleyball Players Participating In The 14th Arab Youth Championship, Mahmoud Yacoub, Nedal Bany Saeed

An-Najah University Journal for Research - B (Humanities)

The study aimed to identify the physical self-esteem and its relation to self-confidence among the volleyball players participating in the 14th Arab Youth Championship. Descriptive process was used on a sample consisted of (65) Youth volleyball players who participated in the 14th Arab Youth Championship (July 25 to August 5, 2017). The data were collected using a questionnaire consisting of (26) paragraphs to measure the level of self-esteem, a questionnaire consisting of (13) paragraphs to measure the level of self-confidence. The data were analyzed using arithmetic mean, standard deviations, t (test) for independent samples, and chi-squared test. The results indicated …

Citizens' Opinions Regarding A Checkout Bag Tax Proposal, Jorden Thomas

The Simon Review (Occasional Papers of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute)

The need to address single-use plastic bag damage to our environment has grown exponentially across the globe. States and communities are taking legislative action to address the harm produced through the form of taxation and/or plastic bag bans. This paper provides insight into the contradictory evidence that is cited in favor or opposition to such legislation across the globe. Further, this paper seeks to determine the positions of Illinois citizens on their willingness to support a state-wide tax or ban on all plastic shopping bags received from retail establishments through the use of public opinion polling. Finally, the impacts of …